Memorializing Mr. Whipple

Monday

Nov 26, 2007 at 12:01 AMNov 26, 2007 at 9:18 AM

Remembering Mr. Whipple: Icon Dick Wilson, one of the most recognizable faces in all of America, has passed.

For those of a certain generation, Dick Wilson was an icon, one of the most recognizable faces in all of America. (A 1978 poll put him behind only former President Richard Nixon and televangelist Billy Graham.)

He sold toilet paper.

Lots of it.

No doubt we've already lost the sophisticated, cyber-savvy, text-messaging crowd, those who are wondering, "Dick Who?" and have never heard the immortal words, "Please, don't squeeze the Charmin."

Need we say more? Mr. Whipple is dead. Long live Mr. Whipple.

Wilson, who portrayed Mr. Whipple for Procter & Gamble from 1964 to 1985 — plus an encore in 1999 — passed away this week in California. He was 91. You could say he lived a full and cushy life.

Oh, we're not making light of Wilson's passing, just paying homage to someone whose like we may never see again. Indeed, Mr. Whipple, a closet squeezer himself — irresistible even to the scold, that was the whole selling point — was not only synonymous with his product, but Americans actually knew what that product was. That's quite unlike many of today's ads. Even if they are memorable, even if they are funny, often you're not entirely certain what product is being pitched, our apologies to GEICO's cavemen. (GEICO is a car insurance company. Of course.)

When he wasn't Mr. Whipple doing Charmin ads — the first of which was filmed in Flushing, N.Y., believe it or not — he was a comedian and character actor doing stints on such shows as "Bewitched," "McHale's Navy" and "Hogan's Heroes." OK, so those may be outdated cultural touchstones, too.

Suffice it to say, Wilson took something and coaxed it to its fullest potential. How many of us can say that? And he is revered among Baby Boomers, as he was part of the fabric of their childhoods. May he rest in peace, on a cloud as soft as a 12-pack of Charmin tissue.